The engine of the Lamson pneumatic change chute system in the basement of Jackson's department store

Jacksons of Reading was a family-owned department store in Reading opened in 1875 by Edward Jackson. The store was kept in the family, and traded goods to the public until December 2013. After its closure, in January 2014, all of the old shop fittings and fixtures - including the last fully operational pneumatic change chute system in the UK - were offered up for sale by public auction. Folk were invited to enter the store to view all the lots in advance of the "everything must go" sale auction on Saturday 4th January, 2014. The viewing and the auction provided opportunities to explore all the hidden corners and floors of the shop which were closed off while Jacksons was still trading. This is the drone of the engine in the basement which powered the Lamson Engineering pneumatic change chute system (installed in the 1940s); the Lamson change chute system was bought for £900 by the man who has maintained it for the last 20 years.